Access to Excellence (A2E) 2024
The Access to Excellence (A2E) program is a fully-funded fly-in opportunity for underrepresented students (eligibility listed below) who have been offered admission to Willamette University. A2E is designed to provide access to students and families who are a good fit for Willamette and who represent a diversity of backgrounds and experiences important to our campus culture and community.
Willamette provides full travel expenses (see travel grant below) to and from campus for a student and family member in order to introduce them to all Willamette has to offer. Participating students, and their guest, will attend Bearcat Day, our admitted student program, and continue into A2E programming.
The theme for this year’s A2E event is Celebrating Your Identity. At Willamette University, we inspire each other to examine issues critically, think creatively and support our community passionately. We challenge Bearcats to transform knowledge into action — the foundation of a successful career and a meaningful life. Instead of linear identifiers boiled down to just being an “engineer,” “artist,” “college student,” or “athlete,” we also want to foster your identity as a celebrated human being. Changing the narrative to “empathetic,” “critical thinker,” “ambitious”, etc., and valuing those qualities even more than the degree you walk away with.
What Can You Expect from A2E?
Students will participate in all Bearcat Day programming, providing a holistic admitted student experience, and then continue into the A2E events. The two days will provide the opportunity to:
- Experience a day in the life of a Willamette student
- Connect with faculty, staff, current students and other admitted students
- Explore the city of Salem and the beautiful Pacific Northwest
- Engage in identity-based conversation to start your story at Willamette